Design selected for Dougherty Field skatepark in Portland

PORTLAND — After more than four years of planning, the city’s Skatepark Selection Committee has approved a state-of-the-art skatepark design to be constructed by a Missouri company.

The committee, comprised of adults and youth BMX bikers and skateboarders, chose a design inspired by a “crop circles” concept, but including many features requested by the committee. Hardcore Shotcrete Skateparks signed the contract for design and construction after a competitive bid process in March.

Features of the park will include a skateable bench, a transfer gap, A-frame pyramid, a skate disk, hubba ledges, steps, rails, rollers, euro gap, radial ledges and a quarter pipe. To maximize the experience, according to a City Hall press release, the park is designed to incorporate all the features in a seamless flow from one section to another.

Hardcore and the Skatepark Committee have been collaborating over the past several months finalizing the design. Once the plan has been approved – hopefully, within the next few weeks – construction will begin and is expected to take around six weeks.

The skatepark will cost approximately $325,000, which will be funded through public and private donations. The city has given $75,000 to the project along with the space allocated for the park, on the old tennis court at Dougherty Field.

Supporters of the skatepark can purchase bricks for the park’s construction for a tax-deductible $50, through a “Buy a Brick” program. The brick will be inscribed for the buyer and become a permanent fixture in the park in the perimeter and the pathway leading to the entrance.

The park is expected to please not only skaters and BMX bikers, but also pedestrians and business owners: after the 2005 demolition of the old skatepark on Marginal Way, skaters and bikers haven’t had a place to ride, so they’ve taken to the streets.

Victoria Fischman is The Forecaster news intern. She can be reached at 781-3661.

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The final design for the new Doughtery Field skatepark by Hardcore Shotcrete Skateparks was selected by the Portland Skatepark Selection Committee. Construction will begin following Planning Board approval and is estimated to take around six weeks.